24 June 2011

After weeks of deadlock, the New York Senate passed an historic marriage equality bill late tonight by a 33-29 vote. Thirty-two votes were needed for passage.

New York joins Connecticut, Iowa, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Vermont, and the District of Columbia in allowing same-sex couples to marry. New York also becomes the most populous state granting such rights.

The late-night vote on Pride weekend also gives "the national gay-rights movement new momentum from the state where it was born," reported the New York Times.

The New York Senate also becomes the first Republican-controlled legislative body in the nation to pass such a bill. Twenty-nine of 30 Democrats supported the bill. Four Republicans voted "yes."

The marriage equality bill was introduced by Democratic Gov. Andrew Cuomo on June 14th. The next day, the Democratic-led Assembly passed the marriage bill for the fourth time in as many years. Several religious protection amendments were added earlier today, requiring the approval of both chambers.

UPDATE: Cuomo signed the bill late Friday night. Marriage equality will become the law in 30 days.

23 June 2011

Some three days after its scheduled adjournment, New York Senate Majority Leader Dean Skelos has finally signaled that the majority Republican caucus will conference to decide if and when there will be a vote on marriage equality.

Referring to proposed amendments to clarify protections for religious organizations, the Long Island Republican said: "We’re going to conference the language of the amendments. We’re going to conference the whole issue, and I expect that that’s going to take a little time."

Governor Andrew Cuomo introduced the measure on June 14. There are currently 31 supporters of the bill, including two Republicans. Only one additional vote is needed for passage.

16 June 2011

The possibility of a New York state Senate vote on marriage equality has been delayed until next week, State Senate Republican leader Dean Skelos tells the Associated Press.

He spoke as he emerged from another private GOP meeting on the issue, this time with New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg.

Republican Sen. Martin Golden of Brooklyn says the collapse of a deal to extend New York City rent control regulations late Wednesday night has complicated the gay marriage issue. Golden says Thursday he still expects the marriage bill to get to the Senate floor for a vote, but that may not happen this week and could be Monday, Tuesday or Wednesday of next week.

Bloomberg, a major financial backer of the Senate Republicans, declined immediate comment after meeting with the senators for an hour.

Bloomberg has been repeatedly criticized for his considerable financial support to Senate Republicans, who have been the chief opponents of marriage equality and gender identity legislation in the Empire State.

On Wednesday night and for the fourth time in as many years, the Democratic-led New York Assembly passed a marriage equality bill. The vote was 80-63.

Thirty-two votes are needed in the Senate. Twenty-nine Democrats and two Republicans have publicly committed they to the bill, which means that one more Republican vote is needed to pass.

Mr. Cuomo, who included legalizing same-sex marriage in his campaign platform, said Wednesday that he intended to ask the Legislature to take up the matter in its current session, which ends in June. "We’ll be working very hard to pass it," the governor, a Democrat, told reporters after delivering an encore of his budget address at Hofstra University on Long Island.

His pledge was greeted warmly by gay-rights activists, who have waited with some uncertainty to see whether Mr. Cuomo, faced with a daunting battle over the budget, would make a charged social issue like legalizing same-sex marriage a priority.

Marriage equality has always faced an uphill battle in Senate where Democrats once again have a razor-thin 32-30 majority. Sen. Ruben Diaz Sr.—the arch-conservative anti-gay Pentecostal minister from the Bronx and a nominal Democrat—vows to do whatever it takes to prevent gay marriage. Thomas Duane, the openly gay Manhattan Democrat who is the bill's lead Senate sponsor, says several Republicans may support the bill. Senate Republican leader Dean Skelos says there will be no formal GOP
position and members may vote their conscience.